Month: July 2012

Twitter is like a window into the soul of America. It shows us faster and more accurately what is on our collective minds than any other medium currently in use. So it was only a matter of time, in a bad economy and a worse job market, that Twitter would be flooded with both job seekers and job offerers. The way they find each other is through certain key hashtags, the best of which we have laid out for you to help you in your quest for employment. Some of these will give you broad search results and take a while to sift through, but let’s face it — you have lots of free time.

Hashtags to Use on Twitter To Find an Employer

These are the tags to plug into Twitter’s search engine to connect you with companies with opening.

#hiring: Here it is, your No. 1 word to find a hiring company is … hiring.

#tweetmyjobs: It’s a pretty clunky phrase, but #tweetmyjobs has been tagged nearly a million times, so include it in your search.

#HR: The folks handling the headhunting for the company will be from human resources, so go straight to the source.

#jobopening: Now we’re talking. This tag is almost exclusively used by people offering people work. Easy.

#jobposting: “Jobposting” is another efficient tag to search, only it’s used a bit less than #jobopening.

#employment: Often listed along with #jobs at the end of a tweet, #employment is a major keyword used by businesses in the market for talent.

#opportunity: There will be some quotes and other tweets that don’t help you, but there will be plenty of hookups to employment opportunities.

#recruiting: Search this hashtag to find not only employers that are hiring, but inside info on the recruiting techniques they’ll be using.

#rtjobs: Many Twitter users are there helping you out by retweeting job openings they come across.

#jobangels: The JobAngels are a volunteer group working to help unemployed people find jobs, and they have a strong presence on Twitter.

Are you a 5-foot-7 woman who has three dogs, loves skydiving and makes a killer margarita? Unless you’re applying for a job as a dog walker, skydiving instructor or bartender, these details do not belong on your résumé. Résumés should only include information that is relevant to the position for which you’re applying, was requested by the employer or makes it easy for them to contact you. Anything superfluous — hobbies and personal attributes for example — should not be shared.

Yet it’s not always easy to decide what should stay and what should go. While every situation is unique, and it’s important to take the job and employer requirements into account, there are some general rules for what does and doesn’t have a place on your résumé. Here is some advice on seven common résumé question marks:

1. Home address: While not everyone is comfortable with sharing such private information, career coach Lavie Margolin recommends including your address. “Not listing your address on your résumé will make things more challenging for you,” Margolin says. “It will be an immediate question mark for employers as to why there is no address listed. They may even perceive it as you not living near the position you are applying for.” Margolin says that while you can still get a job without sharing your address, you’re also more likely to be eliminated for not including it. Just make sure that you’ve done your research on the company to ensure its legitimacy before sharing any contact information.

2. Reference information: “Never include reference information; you don’t want your references being bothered by employers, especially if you don’t know that you want the job,” says Bruce Hurwitz, president and CEO of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing. “Once there is mutual interest, then provide the references.” And remember: Always speak to your references first before sharing their details with prospective companies.

3. A disability: “There is a common and not unfounded fear that revealing a disability on the résumé may lead to not being selected for a position, which makes the disclosure choice a difficult one,” says Barbara Otto, executive director of Think Beyond the Label, a national collaborative aimed at increasing employment among people with disabilities. “A résumé is a springboard for you to give details about your skills, experience and the unique perspectives you bring to the table. You should not explicitly state your disability, but you can weave in your professional experience and hobbies that may be disability-related, such as volunteer work or awards received. Then in the interview you can use these achievements to break the ice about your disability if you choose to.”

4. Grade point average: It’s great if you graduated from college with a 4.0, but if you did so 10 years ago, it’s probably time to remove your GPA from your résumé. “A person’s GPA would normally only be listed on the résumé if [he] recently graduated from college,” Margolin says. “If the GPA is below a 3.0, it is usually best to leave it off. Feel free to keep on any special academic status or awards you may have achieved such as magna cum laude.” The exception? Some companies may request a GPA, so read the application before removing it. “In certain circumstances, a GPA would remain on longer … some job listings require a certain GPA minimum.”

For the many job seekers who have recently landed a job…CONGRATULATIONS- it isn’t over though. The economy is unstable still. Employer loyalty is dead. You never want to be caught flat footed again. In order for you to feel like you have control over your career, you need to constantly keep your eyes open for you next great gig!

I realize most of you do not want to hear this, nor will you probably read this. Denial is dangerous and hope is not a strategy. One of the most sought-after job qualities issecurity. I am afraid to tell you this, but…most jobs no longer offer this benefit. However, you can take control by implementing some or all of these suggestions.

Monitor Job Postings on Job Boards

The easiest method of monitoring job postings to create alerts via the job boards. Do this. However, before you invest time applying for that job, contact someone you know inside the company and ask for an update on the status of the job.

Keep In Contact with People You Met

While you were active in your job search, you undoubtedly met many new people. Set up a system to keep in contact with the most influential folks. You can invite key people for coffee to catch up, shoot them an email, invite them to an event, forward them an interesting article or book review, congratulate them on their success or their company’s success. Look for ways to keep in touch and do this regularly. Does it take time? Absolutely. But keeping your network alive is crucial in developing career insurance.

Hopefully you added them to LinkedIn because this can make it easier to implement your system. Remember, not everyone uses LinkedIn regularly or is as competent as you are in using it. It may not be a primary source for their communication.

Join a Professional Association

Now that you are employed, you have more money. Invest in yourself and your professional development by joining a professional association in your field. Your new employer may even offer to cover that membership. Let them know you are joining and ask if they may be willing to pay for your membership. (You will never know unless you ask.) Be sure to put your request in terms that would benefit your employer such as: it will provide good PR for the company, you’ll be able to bring back new ideas and information, you’ll understand what the competition is doing, etc.

By Josh Tolan If there’s one thing the caped crusader knows, it’s how to get a job done. So why not turn to Batman for some helpful job hunting tips? After all, if he can clean up the streets of Gotham, cleaning up a resume should be no problem.

He’s certainly been cleaning up at the box office. The Dark Knight Rises, director Christopher Nolan’s final chapter in his Batman trilogy, earned a staggering 160 million over its opening weekend. The film already beat the impressive 158 million record its predecessor The Dark Knight set back in 2008.

It might seem silly, but superheroes can tell us a lot about perseverance in the face of tough obstacles. With unemployment holding steady at 8.2 percent and more job seekers flooding the applicant pool for every open position, some superheroics might be necessary. Here are some job hunting tips we can take from the Batman himself courtesy of The Dark Knight Rises (non-spoilery of course!):

Never Give Up As The Dark Knight Rises begins, it’s eight years since Batman has gone out of commission after the events of The Dark Knight. After a truly terrible run of luck with Harvey Dent and the Joker, millionaire Bruce Wayne hung up his bat cowl for good to become a recluse.

With the high rate of unemployment and the dismal June jobs report, it would be easy to do the same when it comes to your job search. It might seem like hope is lost and you’re sending out resumes into a void. Just because you’re disheartened, however, doesn’t mean there isn’t a perfect job out there for you. Just like Bruce Wayne never gave up on the city of Gotham, you can’t give up on your job search.

Don’t Turn Your Back On Your Network Once Bruce Wayne hung up his superhero suit, he also disconnected from his friends. Commissioner Gordon and his colleagues at Wayne Enterprises hadn’t seen the millionaire in ages. Even trusty butler Alfred was tested to the limits of his patience by Bruce.

As a job seeker, your network is vitally important. These are the people who can point you to great opportunities and help you find hidden gems. You want to cultivate these individuals by keeping in contact and lending them assistance. After all, networking is a two-way street. If you help them, when the time comes they might help you by letting you know of an unposted position at their company you would be perfect for. Just like Batman’s friends were there for him when he needed them, your network can’t be ignored.

Watch Your Online Presence Catwoman Selina Kyle knows a thing or two about the importance of your online breadtrail. After a life of petty crime and theft, Selina wants a clean slate. That’s easier said than done, however, especially with the Internet cataloging your every move.

You don’t need to be a cat burglar to worry about your online presence. A whopping 92 percent of all employers will check out your online footprint during the hiring process. This means it’s time to take down those kegstand pictures from college and put up a nice professional headshot. Social media can be an important tool in the job hunt when used correctly. Since you can’t wipe the slate clean, put out your own online messages. Upload an impressive video resume or start an industry-specific blog. Use the online space to show employers why they should hire you, instead of why they shouldn’t.

The majority of job seekers are turning to the Internet to apply for positions, but have you thought about the security risks of entering your personal information—including your full name, Social Security number, address, and work details—online or on paper, and placing it in the hands of a stranger? What can you do to protect your identity?

The first thing you can do to protect yourself is avoid applying for bogus jobs. How? Don’t apply to blind ads and unnamed companies or recruiters. If there is no company listed and you cannot confirm there is a real job, consider moving on to another position description.

Be sure you only use reputable job boards. Job-Hunt.org offers a list of criteria to help you evaluate boards. Top tips include making sure you know who owns the job site, Googling the site’s name, and identifying who has access to the information you include. There should be a comprehensive privacy policy detailed on the site. If there isn’t a policy, assume your information might not be in good hands. Ken Chaplin, senior vice president of Experian’s ProtectMyID, has the following suggestions to keep in mind when you file your online applications:

1. Never provide a Social Security number, or personal information such as date of birth, gender, or race when you apply for a position. Pam Dixon, founder and executive director of the World Privacy Forum, suggests you don’t include any personal information such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or your mother’s maiden name when filling out an online application. (A company that asks for birth date, gender, race, and credit card numbers is probably not legitimate, as reputable employers would not ask for those details.)

If you decide to apply anyway, politely indicate that you’ll be happy to provide your Social Security number upon being offered the job. This information is required for payroll and tax purposes, but doesn’t need to be in the hands of dozens of potential employers.

One caveat: It’s possible an employer may request a Social Security number to conduct credit and background checks before hiring you. Only provide this information once you know the company is legitimate, you have interviewed, and only if you’re genuinely interested in working there.

2. If you drop your application off in person, don’t just hand your information over to the first employee you see. Make sure you’re giving your material to the manager or someone in human resources. It is easy to have your information and resume get lost in the shuffle or fall into the wrong hands.

Over the past three decades women’s median income has increased 63%, and now more than a third of working wives earn more than their husbands. It’s no surprise when, although they were once discouraged from pursuing higher education, women now surpass men in achievement of bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Across sectors, women continue earning only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, but more and more they are landing high-paying professional jobs and narrowing the gap. An analysis of the median weekly earnings of full-time American workers in 2011 by occupation and gender, as tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows the top 20 jobs where women are earning the most. All require some college and most are concentrated in health care, science and technology, and business fields.

At No. 1, pharmacist is the best-paying job for women, where they earn a median of $1,898 a week or approximately $99,000 a year. Women comprise more than half (56%) of all pharmacists and earn nearly as a much as men in the job. Moreover, the field offers more than 10,000 annual openings and is expected to grow 25% by 2020.

“Pharmacy is known for paying very well straight out of school and all the way through your career,” says Katie Bardaro, lead economist at compensation research firm PayScale. “It’s a very good return on investment in terms of money and time spent on education.”

While pharmacists must achieve a four-year professional degree and pass licensing exams, physicians and surgeons attend four years of medical school and complete three to eight years of internship and residency. Yet, for women, doctor comes in as the fourth highest paying job—behind pharmacists, lawyers (No. 2) and computer and information systems managers (No. 3)—with median weekly earnings of $1,527 or about $79,000 a year. They also earn 21% less than male doctors.

Bardaro explains that physicians face a much wider range of specialty and practice type. Men trend toward high-risk, high-paying areas like plastic and brain surgery, she says, while women are more likely to move into lower-paying specialties like general practice and pediatrics.